Minnesotans honors memory of Minnesotans who fought at Gettysburg

Tuesday

Jun 25, 2013 at 6:17 PMJun 25, 2013 at 6:18 PM

Today at the Minnesota State Capitol, Governor Dayton signed a proclamation commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The proclamation, which designates Tuesday, July 2, 2013, as “Minnesota Courage at Gettysburg, Recognition Day,” commends the courage of 262 Minnesotans who fought at Gettysburg, and honors the memory of the 215 members of the First Minnesota Regiment who gave their lives on the battlefield.

Today at the Minnesota State Capitol, Governor Dayton signed a proclamation commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The proclamation, which designates Tuesday, July 2, 2013, as “Minnesota Courage at Gettysburg, Recognition Day,” commends the courage of 262 Minnesotans who fought at Gettysburg, and honors the memory of the 215 members of the First Minnesota Regiment who gave their lives on the battlefield.

With only 47 survivors, the First Minnesota Regiment suffered more casualties than any other Union regiment at Gettysburg, and the largest single casualty rate of any regiment during the entire Civil War. Today, the regiment’s 82 percent casualty rate remains the largest loss by any surviving military unit in U.S. history during a single day’s engagement.

On July 2, 2013, and July 3, 2013, a delegation from Minnesota will honor the memory of Minnesotans involved in the Battle of Gettysburg by laying a wreath at the Minnesota memorial on the grounds of Gettysburg Military Park in Pennsylvania. Members of the delegation, and members of the Governor’s Civil War Commemoration Task Force, were on-hand today at the state Capitol for an official send-off ceremony with Governor Dayton.